592 INDUSTRIAL USES OF WOOD. 



about 2 feet long, there is generally little difficulty in getting 

 nearly the suitable curve, the wood being then cut into shape 

 with a band-saw. 



There is a large export of felloes from forests, and in 

 Germany they are usually sawn out of split pieces, with their 

 flat sides parallel to the annual rings (Fig. 336), which 

 enables them best to support the pressure of the spokes with- 

 out warping. Where felloes are sawn out of ordinary planks 

 3 to 6 inches thick, they are much weaker than those made 

 as above. A bent rim sometimes is used for the wheels of 

 light carriages, being made of one piece of steamed split- 

 wood ; larch, ash, oak, beech, birch, or hickory are employed. 



Spokes are made of cloven oak and ash, also of robinia, 

 American oakwood or hickory. Wood thoroughly tough and 

 strong, and not likely to shrink much in dry, hot weather, 

 should be used. 



[Spokes vary greatly in size, the smallest being 2 to 2J feet 

 long by 2 to 2j inches by 1 to 1J inches and tapering down 

 to about J inch at the smaller end ; these are used for 

 omnibuses and coaches. Cartwheel spokes are heavier, but 

 of about the same length. Large spokes 5 inches by 3 inches 

 at the thicker end are made frequently. Tr.] 



The principal piece of the body of a timber-cart is the pole, 

 which is made of split oak, birch, or ash. The axles of the 

 wheels are made usually of steel, or of strong oak or ash- 

 wood, with steel ends on which the wheels revolve. Carriage- 

 poles are preferred of birch, but are made also of ash and 

 oak ; and for shafts, ash is preferred to oak, the latter, when 

 strong, being usually too heavy, whilst ash bends and yields 

 better without breaking. The best shafts are of hickory or 

 lancewood (Guatteria vulgaris). The size for shafts is 8 to 

 10 feet by 2J to 4 inches square, 



The framework of carts and carriages must be made of 

 well-seasoned wood, beech, ash and oak being used, the panels 

 of carriages being of lime or poplar. 



Ploughs and harrows are made of heavy wood wherever 

 iron is not used in their construction, and crooked pieces of 

 oak, ash and elm-wood are used. Teeth of harrows, if not of 

 iron, are made of hornbeam-wood. 



